The U.S. special operations mission that led to the death of Islamic State founder Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was staged from an airbase in western Iraq, a Pentagon official told The Daily Beast. The base had for months housed U.S. troops deployed there, and had more recently become the destination for troops withdrawing from northern Syria after the Trump administration ordered a withdrawal. A U.S. official also told Reuters that Iraqi intelligence assets played a role in the mission. “Iraqi intelligence and security officials contributed to the successful outcome of the operation,” the official told Reuters.
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